Wednesday, April 1, 2020


Well, that's supposed to be a panoramic picture of a place in the woods I ducked into this morning to pee while I was on my walk. It was so quiet and beautiful. I guess you had to be there.
It's been a beautiful day all the way around, cool and utterly cloudless, birds singing and lizards sunning. Yesterday's rain, as insufficient as it was, has cleared the air of pollen for a moment at least and all the greens seem greener. The magnolia leaves appear to have been polished and are gleaming and glowing in the late afternoon sun.

My walk was a good one. I was out for over an hour soaking up the sun and cool air like a thirsty sponge and I could feel my calves being glad for the reminder of past strength. When I got home I made us our lunches of leftovers. Fish for him, soup for me. I have eaten that soup at least five days in a row and I think that despite the fact there is actually one more serving of it, I am done. For a soup that I had such poor prospects for, it has turned out to be pretty good and definitely nourishing but honestly- I've had enough.

I did a little crocosmia and Japanese paper plant pulling in the shade and appreciated the coolness with all of my heart. I worked at it in a leisurely manner until I didn't want to do it anymore and then I stopped. What a luxury! I've hung clothes on the line, I've folded and brought them in. I went through the cabinets and here's what I have discovered:
I definitely need more Miracle Whip and Duke's mayonnaise. I have no spares.
I have plenty of homemade pickles and I need to remember to start putting them out for our lunches. I hoard those things and they ain't gonna last forever. Dills, fourteen day pickles and mustard pickles. Also a large jar of applesauce that might need to be thrown away. It's been there for quite awhile but it was made with Vergil's mama's apples and I hate to do that. Again- saving something because it's special is really not the smartest thing to do, whether we're talking applesauce or the good china. If there was ever a time to enjoy the good stuff, this would be it.
I also have three cans of sweetened condensed milk. Really? Why? I only use it for making lime or lemon pies and I may make one or two of those a year. Have you ever put sweetened condensed milk in your coffee? It's just about the best thing in the world.
Beyond those things, I was not much surprised at what I found and what I did not find. Well, I did find that I have more canning jar lids and rings than I was aware of. I'll be happy as I can be if I get to use some of those this summer. Mr. Moon hasn't planted any cucumbers yet though. Maybe he'll tempt fate tomorrow and go to the feed store in Monticello and buy seeds. God knows that without cucumbers, there can be no dill pickles and no sweet pickles either.
His beans are coming up fine and so are the squash and the potatoes. The tomatoes are putting out a few blooms. The onions still look good and the collards don't show signs of bolting yet. I was talking to Lon about bolting greens the other day and we discussed the fact that both of us have had collards that lasted throughout the summer.
"I wonder what the factors were in making that happen?" I asked.
"Neglect, probably," he said.
Benign neglect is vastly underrated in my opinion.
We have discovered the problem with the sugar-snap peas. The chickens are nipping them as fast as they can. They love those vines and leaves and we plant them next to the fence to have support on which to grow so they just reach right through the fence with their long dinosaur necks and snip the tender growth with their sharp beaks.
Sigh.

Our governor finally and at last put out a stay-at-home order today. It'll start Friday morning at 12:01 a.m. It doesn't have much teeth to it though. People can go out to shop for groceries and necessities, they can pick up food from restaurants, they can go out to exercise and recreate although more than ten people can not congregate doing any of this.
Well, duh.

The people in Franklin County which is where Dog Island and Apalachicola are located are incensed because a Georgia congressman, Senator Bruce Thompson (Republican, of course) decided to recuperate from the coronavirus at his beach home on St. George Island because his doctor said it would be "good for his lungs"  after he spent time in the intensive care unit in a hospital in his home state.
In the You-Can't-Make-This-Shit-Up vein, his home on the island is in a gated community called The Plantation and he is from White, Georgia.
Also, he had written (on Twitter? Facebook?) “I ask everyone to join me in doing your part to #FlattenTheCurve and #StayHome as we fight the spread of COVID-19,” 

The sheriff of Franklin County was not amused. 
In a statement he said, “He says he’s cured,” said Smith. “He lives north of Atlanta. I don’t know why he didn’t stay there, It perplexes me.”
“I talked to him yesterday,” said A.J. Smith Wednesday morning. “I think he needs to go back to Georgia.”

In the latest update I've read, Senator Thompson is indeed going back to Georgia. 

Quite frankly, if I had a home on St. George, I'd want to be there. Who wouldn't? 

But I'm quite content to be where I am and given the circumstances, I am actually thrilled to be in Lloyd. As I keep saying, if people weren't getting sick and suffering and dying all over the world and I could hug my kids and grandkids, this would be one of the most beautiful times of my life. My husband expressed similar emotions today and we both agreed that although we feel guilty saying these things, it's true. We're finally being able to enjoy what we've worked so hard for all these years. 

Well, check back with me in a month or two. 

And of course, at the back of my mind the thought of the people on the front lines of this battle never leaves me. But for once in my life, I am doing all that I can do and I know that with certainty. 

So. You? 

Take good care, people. 

Love...Ms. Moon


Ratty and George are so lonely. 

22 comments:

  1. Him coming to St George was probably one of the stupidest, most hypocritical things he could do. The recent news reports say that he's heading back home, where he told everyone else to stay.
    The weather was beautiful today. I spent a break from work out in the garden pulling weeds from the garden and raking up the live oak leaves.

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    1. Good thing he's a senator from Georgia because he sure hasn't made any friends here in Florida.
      Wasn't it gorgeous? I could do with more weather like this.

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  2. Glad you had a nice day. Mine has been a little sucky; weepy for no obvious reason because I like staying home and have all I need. Maybe it was just a cycling through thing. Or maybe it was rage at Mr. T. Anyhoo, reading about your day did make me feel better. Sleep well.

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    1. I expect I'll have another weepy day any time now. I think you're right- we have to cycle through all the emotions. Sometimes in a day, sometimes in a week. Whatever. They are all going to come up at some point.

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  3. There is something about knowing you are exactly where you need to be that brings peace. And being there with your love, the two of you moving easily and gently around each other, is the sweetest thing.

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    1. Mostly we're moving easily around each other! And always gently. Manners are important, aren't they? So is humor.

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  4. Love the panorama, with brown pine needles and green pine needles.
    I'm thinking, this affair is harder on all the grands than on the grandkids. How I hope all are still here when this affair ends and they need to be together again.

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  5. I'm kinda shocked that it's taken Florida so long to make a stay at home announcement. It's a weird life right now. We're still working so that makes it feel even stranger. I had a day off so I stayed home and baked and quilted. Still too cold outside to spend much time out there.

    Glad you're staying well. Sending hugs.

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    1. Our governor is a fucking idiot. And that's all I need to say about that.

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  6. Glad you're having little islands of happiness in this awful time. Why not?

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  7. We are too well informed up here, Brilliant governor...we are looking at the end of July for the stay in mandate...and then , in the fall, once again. We are very good at this, staying home thing. It suits us really, but lethargy has set in, and it is like we are just waiting around to die, so, I drank all of the Baileys, I don[t even like it, and am moving toward the Jamison, a little more hard core, but no worries , it usually rejects me. Florida is late to the party!

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    1. Florida is always late to the party and see my reply above to Lilycedar. Y'all are so lucky in your governor. This being Florida, all I can say is that ours is slightly better than Trump but I honestly don't have any real evidence for that statement.

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  8. Sounds like Senator Bruce Thompson has learnt all that he knows at the D.J.Trump School of Politics with its famous motto, "Do as I say, not as I do". Here there were no vegetable seeds in three stores where I would have expected to find them though the government has shut down all garden centres as "non-essential". Spring is a time for planting and so many new plants have been wasted because of this ruling.

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    1. That's so sad! Now, more than ever, people need to be able to get into their yards and plant something. Anything. Flowers to cheer, food to eat. Just the very tasks required are soothing and strengthening and good for the soul. I am so sorry, Mr. P.

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  9. yep, pretty much doing the same here. busy as always. it always amazes me that there are people who don't know how to entertain themselves or busy themselves without someone else telling them what to do (as in work at a job) or who never developed any interests outside of their work. 8 confirmed cases in my county now with 5 tests pending.

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    1. Well, if you and I had to go work in an office we'd DIE! So there is that. But yeah, I don't have any problem entertaining myself at all.
      I haven't even checked to see how many cases there are in Jefferson County where I actually live. I'm usually far more out in Tallahassee than I am here. If I can't go to the library and to lunch in Monticello, there's not a whole lot I need there.

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  10. We will be distancing, meaning not going out of the house, at least for supplies, until sometime around 2025 I think. I'm basing that on the amount of food stuff Dimi has hoarded in our pantry and freezer. Don't worry, this is not food being deprived from anyone because we're hoarding it. What does one do with a 4 lb bag of frozen chicken wings, bones and skin and all? Oy!
    :)
    Good Morning Mary, Mr. Moon and Curious George.
    Everything is just fine here.
    We're waiting for the thunderstorm that didn't happen yet.
    I'm boiling chicken wings so I can remove the skin and bones.
    And life goes on...

    Tom

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    1. Yay for Dimi! He's making sure that you have all you need. That you won't (forgive me) get down to skin and bones before this is all over.
      Haha!

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  11. Re. the senator, apparently this is a thing -- rich people going to their second homes to either escape the virus or recover from it, and the not-rich people who live nearby have to contend with the increased risk. It's caused a lot of controversy and strife in resort communities. But I guess rich people, when they are told to stay home, can afford to ask, "Which one?"

    The panorama looks promising, but it's so small!

    I combed through our pantry drawer today just to see what was in there. We have six cans of tomatoes and some boxes of tomato paste. I told Dave he needs to make some stuff using tomatoes! I'm probably driving him crazy.

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    1. Well, we could have gone to Dog Island but the amount of provisions we'd have to take would be daunting. You can't even drink the water there! Not like St. George with its grocery stores and liquor stores and gas stations and so forth.
      I'm sure that Dave will figure out what to use with all that tomato goodness. And I doubt you're driving him crazy.

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